"CBD" Oil Causing Mass Overdoses Across the United States

51 People Overdose on CBD Oil in Utah

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is reporting cases of multiple overdoses in parts of the United States.  The CDC reported 51 cases of people experiencing adverse reactions following the use of CBD oil with 30 of those people being hospitalized. Adverse reactions reported in victims included altered mental status, seizures, confusion, loss of consciousness, and hallucinations. The adverse effects were inconsistent with known CBD effects prompting concern for adulteration with a substance such as a synthetic cannabinoid use.

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CBD Product Actually Contained "Spice"

Samples of products obtained by UPCC and tested by the Utah Department of Public Safety found a synthetic cannabinoid, 4-cyano CUMYL-BUTINACA and no cannabidiol. Patients reported purchasing the product in area tobacco shops. A product labeled as “Yolo” cannabidiol oil bearing a picture of blueberries and containing no other information about manufacturer and content was identified. Other products could also be implicated.

Most of the Victims Were Vaping

Of the overdosed individuals, 15 were <18 years, 31 were male, and 33 were from Salt Lake County. Over half reported using a “Yolo” product and two-thirds purchased their CBD product at a local tobacco store. Three-fourths of individuals reported vaping the product and another 17.6% used it sublingually. The median time to onset of adverse reaction was 1 minute, and the duration of adverse reaction lasted a median of 72 hours. The top adverse reactions reported were: altered mental status (82.4%), nausea or vomiting (49.0%), seizures or shaking (27.5%), loss of consciousness (25.5%) and hallucinations (23.5%).

What is CBD Oil?

Some activists claim that CBD oil can be used as medicine. Manufacturers of CBD oil claim that CBD oil is high in Cannabidiol (or CBD) which may have some health benefit, according to some studies. However, there are no controls over what CBD oil manufacturers put in their product. Some "CBD Oil" products have been found to contain THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Unlike real medicine which goes through an FDA approval process, CBD oil does not have FDA oversight.

Army, Marine Corps See 60 Overdoses in North Carolina

The CBD oil in the Utah overdoses were sent for testing. The testing showed that the cannabidiol oil that caused the overdoses were really a synthetic cannabinoid, 4-cyano CUMYL BUTINACA. in January, 60 soldiers from Ft Bragg and Camp Lejuene became ill after using acannabidiol oil. Unfortunately, it is unknown what the actual contents of the CBD oil in that case was, but it may also be a synthetic cannabinoid.